Night of the Mummy
by Frankie Alton
Summary: It's Halloween and all Wheeler wants to do is have a big party and see Linka in a cute costume. Unfortunately, the eco-emergencies don't stop for holidays.
1. Chapter 1

Wheeler always got excited about holidays. He usually went overboard decorating the Planeteer's shared quarters on Hope Island. Halloween was no exception. Their living room was covered in fake spider webs, bubbling cauldrons, and phony tombstones- not to mention a large variety of electronic gadgets that made spooky noises when a person got too close.

As Wheeler was hanging yet another fake ghost from the ceiling, the other Planeteers walked into the room. Gi and Linka were walking close, whispering and giggling with one another, but they stopped abruptly and looked up at Wheeler who was still standing on the ladder.

The sheer amount of decorations was rather overwhelming to the others. An electronic cackling witch sent Suchi into a frenzy, much to the amusement of the Planeteers.

"It's okay," Ma-ti said soothingly. "It's just a decoration." The monkey stared angrily at the statue for another moment before resuming his usual spot on Ma-ti's shoulder.

"Don't you think you have enough decorations yet?" Gi asked.

"I just want to set the right mood for our big Halloween party." Wheeler answered. "So, Linka, did you think of a costume yet?" Wheeler grinned flirtatiously.

"Nyet," she replied. "I don't suppose you have any suggestions?" She grinned back at him. Gi and Kwame both exchanged a knowing glance, though neither Wheeler nor Linka seemed to notice.

Wheeler stepped down from the ladder and put his arm around Linka's shoulders. "Well I was thinking… cheerleader. Maybe nurse. Or belly dancer." He raised his eyebrow suggestively.

"What if I wanted to be something scary for Halloween?" Linka teased.

"In that case you should dress up like Dr. Blight," Gi said.

"Gi!" Linka exclaimed, giving her friend a playful shove.

Wheeler, Ma-ti and Kwame were all laughing. "Hey that was pretty funny, Gi," Kwame said.

"Yeah," Wheeler added. "Looks like my American sense of humor is rubbing off on you."

Gi flopped down on the couch. "Oh no," she said seriously.

Linka sat down next to her, grabbing a bag of chips off of the coffee table. "Does anybody want to watch the TV?"

Suddenly Wheeler turned and ran to the couch, grabbing the remote control out of Linka's hand. "What time is it?" he asked, turning on the TV and flipping through the channels frantically.

"7:15." Kwame said. "What's the matter, Wheeler?"

"I'm missing Entertainment News Tonight!" he exclaimed.

"You mean that sleazy celebrity show that tells you all the rumors about movie stars?" Gi asked sounding somewhat disgusted.

"Do you really like to watch those celebrity news shows? They're so…" Linka struggled for the word.

"Trashy?" Ma-ti suggested.

Wheeler ignored the others' comments, continuing to flip through the channels until he found the show, hosted by a pretty but rather ditzy blonde reporter. "And now on Entertainment News Tonight, we go behind the scenes with Bambi Blight for a sneak peak of her new movie, _Night of the Mummy.__**" **_The overzealous reporter chirped.

"Hey look, it's Bambi!" Wheeler said, sounding a little too excited.

Linka rolled her eyes. "No wonder you like to watch these shows," she said, trying not to sound jealous. Gi gave her an "I told you so" sort of look, and Linka just glared back icily.

The television cut to a scene of another ditzy blonde reporter standing with Bambi Blight in front of the ruins of an Egyptian temple. Bambi was dressed in rather revealing ancient Egyptian costume, complete with heavy make up and lots of jewelry.

Wheeler's eyes were glued to the screen now, which prevented him from noticing the angry look Linka was directing towards him. Gi and Kwame were both snickering, which only added to Linka's frustration. Ma-ti was simply trying to keep to himself. He did not need his Heart power to sense what was going on.

"So how does it feel to be filming on location in Egypt?" the reporter asked.

"It's just great," Bambi gushed, being her normal cheerful self. "This is really going to make the movie feel so realistic."

"So what do you think about the stories of mummy sightings in the area where you have been filming? Is this another publicity stunt by producer Robin Plunder?" The reporter asked eagerly.

Bambi frowned, looking rather angry. "No it's not. It's just stupid rumors…"

"But everybody knows about Robin's history of cheap publicity stunts. Remember the bat attacks during last year's filming of _Revenge of the Killer Bat Zombies_?"

"That was a mistake. I'm sure he wouldn't do the same thing again." Bambi seemed very defensive.

"You do have to admit it is an eerie coincidence…"

"A coincidence!" Bambi said firmly. "I have to get back to the set now." She turned and walked away from the reporter.

"Just one more question!" The reporter asked. "Miss Blight?" It was too late though, she had already stormed off and was out of the camera's view.

The TV screen flashed back to the reporter at the news desk. "So there you have it. The inside scoop on _The Night of the Mummy_, real mummy sightings or publicity stunt? You can be certain Entertainment News Tonight will get to the bottom of it."

"More like we'll get to the bottom of it," Wheeler groaned as he clicked off the TV.

"Da. Can you believe it? Robin Plunder is at it again!" Linka said angrily.

"But what would he have to gain by staging mummy attacks?" Ma-ti asked.

"Publicity for his movie, for one thing," Gi answered.

"Publicity for _Bambi Blight's_ movie," Linka added, folding her arms across her chest.

"Aw, come on Babe," Wheeler said. "We all know Bambi is alright. Besides, even if Robin Plunder is staging a publicity stunt, it's not like it's hurting anybody."

"If a Plunder is involved, you can bet it's hurting somebody," Kwame said sagaciously.

Wheeler sighed and sank back into the couch, shoving a handful of chips into his mouth. Why did he get that feeling that his party plans were about to be ruined?

As if on cue, Gaia's translucent form appeared before them. "Planeteers, I need you in the Crystal Chamber immediately. We have an eco-emergency."

"Of course," Wheeler muttered, as he pulled himself up off of the couch. "So much for my party…"

* * *

Author's note: For anyone who hasn't seen the episodes- Bambi Blight Dr. Blight's sister/Hollywood movie star, Robin Plunder Looten Plunder's nephew/Hollywood movie producer. I always wanted to write a story with the two of them in it, I figured it was inevitable that their paths would cross eventually.

Also, I have another story I've been trying to work on, but I'm sort of stuck. I think it's because its kinda dark. This one is gonna be a lot more lighthearted.


	2. Chapter 2

The Planeteers had not wasted any time once they were summoned by Gaia- except for Wheeler who trudged along pouting about his interrupted party plans.

"What's the emergency, Gaia?" Kwame asked as soon as all the Planeteers were assembled in the Crystal Chamber.

"Someone has been robbing Egyptian tombs of priceless artifacts and selling them to so called 'collectors' on the black market." Gaia answered seriously. The viewing screen flashed images of wealthy businessmen exchanging money for Egyptian treasures.

"That's terrible!" Gi exclaimed.

"Yes, those artifacts are an important part of history. They belong to the world. They should be in a museum," Ma-ti said angrily.

"You don't suppose this has anything to do with the mummy sightings where they are filming that movie?" Wheeler asked.

"I think it has everything to do with it," Linka said. "After all, Robin Plunder is involved."

"I'm going to need you kids to go to Egypt and check this out," Gaia said.

Wheeler sighed, his shoulders slumping. "So much for my Halloween party."

"Maybe we'll get to see some real life mummies. That would make for a pretty good Halloween," Kwame said, attempting to be encouraging.

"Yeah…" Wheeler said, not sounding very consoled "But I won't get to see Linka's costume."

* * *

Bambi Blight sat in her dressing room studying her script for _Night of the Mummy _when she was interrupted by a knock at her door.

"Come in," she said.

Robin Plunder walked into her room. "How're you doing, Bambi?" he asked.

"I'm okay. I'm still upset though. Can you believe the nerve of that reporter?" She was still fuming about being hassled by the reporter from Entertainment News Tonight.

"I told you not to do that interview." Robin Plunder said matter-of-factly. "All they do is try to dig up dirt on celebrities to boost their ratings."

Bambi flashed him a look that said "I told you so" was not what she wanted to hear. She turned her attention back to the script that she had been studying.

After a few moments of silence Bambi asked cautiously, "You really don't have anything to do with this do you, Robin?"

"Bambi!" Robin sounded more hurt than angry.

"I'm sorry," Bambi said. "It's just…"

"Just that once you make one mistake, you're marked for life," Robin said bitterly. "I'm not crazy like my uncle! I don't go around killing whales or dumping toxic waste into the ocean. I was just trying to get some publicity for my movie."

"I know," Bambi said. "I believe you. I just wish I knew who was behind this."

Robin folded his arms across his chest as if he were thinking. "Well the last time strange things happened on one of your movie sets it was your crazy sister, right?"

"Babs?" Bambi asked incredulously. "Well, I wouldn't put it past her."

"Speaking of your sister," Robin said curiously, "are she and my uncle Looten… you know… together?"

Bambi shrugged. "I don't know. Every time I ask her about it she yells at me for ten minutes and then doesn't talk to me for a few months.

Robin nodded. "That's weird. My uncle does the same thing."

As they were talking there was another knock at the door. It was the director. "Did you guys hear there has been another mummy sighting?" he asked, sounding somewhat accusatory.

Robin glared at the director. "What happened this time?"

"You mean you don't already know?" The director sneered.

"What are you trying to say?" Robin was starting to sound angry.

"I'm saying that I never thought it was a good idea to have you as producer of this movie in the first place!" The director snapped.

"Guys, calm down!" Bambi yelled. "Robin has nothing to do with this, I promise you."

"You know," Robin said, his voice tense, "I'm getting tired of these accusations. I'm going to go and find out what's behind this nonsense so you people will leave me alone!" He stormed out of the dressing room, trailed by the director who was still ranting.

Bambi sighed and settled down in her chair, focusing once again on her script. However a few minutes later she was interrupted yet again. "I'm never going to get this scene down," she muttered angrily.

She took a deep breath and calmed herself before calling sweetly, "Come in."

She was quite surprised when she was the Planeteers standing at her door. "Hey guys!" she said enthusiastically.

"Hey Bambi!" Wheeler responded just as enthusiastically. Linka rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, shaking her head.

"What brings you here?" Bambi asked.

"It's about the mummy sightings that have been happening around here," Kwame answered.

Bambi's look suddenly was not as friendly. "Why does everyone want to talk about that?"

"We think it might have something to with some Egyptian artifacts that are being sold on the black market," Ma-ti clarified.

"That's terrible," Bambi said. "You really think they're related?"

"Well it would be quite a coincidence if they are not," Gi said.

"And quite a coincidence that Robin Plunder is involved," Linka added.

Bambi looked very angry now. "He has nothing to do with this! Can't a person make one mistake?" She sounded very defensive.

The Planeteers all looked at her strangely. Why would she be so upset about them accusing Robin?

Suddenly Bambi's expression changed from anger to concern. "Robin just left a few minutes ago to try to figure out what's going on. You don't think he could be in any danger, do you?"

"You know, you seem really worried about him." Wheeler said.

Bambi smiled, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Well, um, we're sort of… dating."

Wheeler's eyes grew wide. "You and that creep! Boy, some guys have all the luck!" Now both Linka and Bambi were glaring at him. "I've really gotta think about what I say," Wheeler muttered, looking as if he were trying desperately to make himself invisible.

Bambi shook her head in exasperation. "So are you guys gonna help me look for him or am I going to have to go on my own?"

"We'll help you," Kwame said graciously. "But we better hurry up, it's getting dark."


	3. Chapter 3

The last rays of sunlight were fading below the horizon by the time Robin Plunder made it to the tombs several miles away from where _The Night of the Mummy_ was filming. This was the place where the majority of the mummy sightings had taken place, and it had scared most people away from the area.

So far he had not noticed anything unusual. As he peered across the ruins of ancient tombs through binoculars he noticed something moving in the distance. It had a strange gait. As he adjusted the focus of the binoculars the shape came into focus. It was a mummy! Or at least it looked like a mummy. He had worked in Hollywood long of to see some pretty realistic fake monsters. He wasn't going to go running off until he investigated this further.

He crept closer to the "mummy," ducking behind rocks and keeping in the shadows. As he got closer he could hear voices in the distance, though they were too faint for him to make out what they were saying.

As he looked at the mummy again he noticed that it had turned around and started heading in the direction of the voices. Something told him that following the mummy would lead him to the source of all the rumors.

A few moments later Robin found himself on a hill overlooking the entrance to a tomb. He could see the shadowy forms of men placing artifacts into crates and loading them into trucks. So that's what was going on. Tomb raiders.

He peered through his binoculars again, zooming in as much as possible on the activity. He saw several people gathered near the entrance of the tomb. "It can't be…" he muttered.

There was only one man in the world who would wear a green suit trimmed with leopard fur. And it was not hard to guess who the blonde haired woman in a skin tight pink jumpsuit with him was. "You're not going to like this, Bambi," he said to himself. "Not at all."

* * *

"Careful with those artifacts, you morons! They're priceless," Looten Plunder screamed at his bumbling lackeys, Oakey and Dokey.

"Gee, if they're priceless, what does it matter if we break them?" Dokey said stupidly.

"There's a difference between priceless and…" Plunder stopped and took a deep breath, realizing the pointlessness of trying to explain anything to the two Pinehead brothers. "Just don't break anything or you're fired!"

Dr. Blight watched the scene with a bemused smirk. "Where exactly did you dig up these sideshow rejects, Looten?"

"I hired them when I was clear cutting that forest in the Pacific Northwest. You know, that one that the Planet brats tried to stop me…"

"But you cut it all down anyway," Dr. Blight interrupted. "Please tell me that story again; I haven't heard it enough yet."

Plunder looked hurt, almost pouting. He folded his arms across his chest. "I can't help it if I enjoy remembering that day…"

Dr. Blight rolled her eyes. She had to admit, she had been pretty impressed when Plunder first told her about that incident. The story was getting pretty old now though.

"Look!" Dr. Blight said, happy for an excuse to change the subject. "Our mummy is back from terrorizing the countryside."

They both watched as the robotic monster ambled its way back toward the tomb. Plunder looked at it warily. "You're sure this thing isn't going to go Robo-wolf and try to kill me?" he asked nervously.

"You really don't let things die, do you?" Dr. Blight snapped.

"Not if they're trying to make me die," Plunder retorted.

"Relax, Looten," Dr. Blight said smoothly. "Trust me, you'll be fine. Besides, thanks to our mummy here chasing away anyone who gets near the tombs, we're free to take all of the priceless treasures that we want."

Dr. Blight and Looten Plunder shared one of their maniacal laughs. "Your plans are as brilliant as always, Babs" Looten said suavely. He looked like he was about to say something else when he was interrupted.

"You two are crazy!"

"Who said that?" Looten turned around to come face to face with his nephew, Robin. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm out here investigating these so called mummy sightings," Robin replied.

"Why would you do that?" Looten asked, sounding somewhat confused.

"Because they're happening at the same time my newest movie is filming. Everyone is blaming it on me."

"Oh, like that bat attack thing," Looten said. "Well, now I'm getting rich, and you're getting publicity for your movie. Sounds like a win-win situation to me."

Robin's face grew red. "No! No it is not! You are breaking all sorts of international laws here. You are going to go to jail forever in a country where I think they might still cut off people's hands for stealing!"

Plunder was rather stunned at his nephew's outburst and didn't really know what to say.

"Are all of you Plunder men this high strung?" Dr. Blight asked, interrupting the silence.

"Not at all," Plunder answered. "I'm not sure what's gotten into Robin. He's never been opposed to making money before."

"I'm not opposed to making money. I'm just opposed to… to this!" Robin waved his hand at the crates of Egyptian treasures. "Why can't you just invest in the stock market or something?"

"Well, that would be no fun. Besides, you don't have to pay taxes on illegal money." Plunder replied.

"I think I know what's going on," Dr. Blight said, sauntering over to Robin and putting her arm around his shoulders. "This is because you're dating my goody-goody sister. She's cleaning you up. Pretty soon you'll be recycling, driving a hybrid car, eating vegetarian…"

Plunder shuddered and looked disgusted. Robin rolled his eyes. "You guys are crazy," Robin said. "You belong together."

"What's that mean?" Plunder demanded.

"Nothing. Look, I'm headed back to the set now. I have no idea what to think or what to do about this."

"You mean you're not going to hand us over to the authorities?" Plunder asked, somewhat sarcastically.

"You know I couldn't do that to you Uncle Looten," Robin said with a sigh. "Just try not to get caught."

* * *

Bambi and the Planeteers borrowed a jeep from the film crew. It was almost dark by the time they set out for the source of the mummy sightings. Bambi drove the Jeep, handling it quite well considering how bumpy and curvy the trail was.

"Isn't this cool, Babe?" Wheeler asked Linka. He was sitting in the backseat with his arm around Linka's shoulders. "It's like something from a movie."

"Yeah, a horror movie," Linka said.

"I know! It's great!" Wheeler exclaimed. He was enjoying the ride through the desert. It was surprisingly cooler than he had expected. The moon was full and bright and cast the rocky landscape in an eerie glow. Wheeler felt like Indiana Jones, out looking for some treasure.

It was just after dark when they made it to the area where the tombs were located. They got out of the Jeep and climbed up onto a rock where they had a good view of the valley.

"So this is where everything is happening?" Kwame asked.

"It is," Bambi said. "A lot of people have said they've seen mummies around here. Some have even said that they have been attacked."

"Well there is obviously something going on. Look over there," Gi said as she pointed to a dim light near one of the tombs. They could make out the forms of several people in the light.

"I'll check it out," Wheeler said, peering through a pair of binoculars. "Man, it's worse than we thought. You guys aren't going to like this."

"What's going on?" Linka asked.

"Looten Plunder and Dr. Blight. And Robin is with them," Wheeler answered.

Bambi looked shocked. "Let me see those," she said, grabbing the binoculars from Wheeler. She saw the three of them talking, her sister's arm wrapped around Robin's shoulders. A moment later Robin turned and left.

"There has to be some kind of explanation," Bambi said. She sounded upset.

"Yeah, he's a Plunder," Wheeler said bitterly.

"And I'm a Blight," Bambi added, glaring at Wheeler.

Wheeler and the other Planeteers were stunned. They all felt rather bad making assumptions about someone based on family considering Bambi's situation.

"I'm sorry, Bambi," Wheeler said. "I know I shouldn't judge. But you have to admit this looks suspicious."

"Well why don't we give Robin a chance to explain himself. He's headed back to the set now."

The Planeteers agreed. They got back into their Jeep and head back toward the set. Bambi found herself hoping that Robin would have a good explanation.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: Thanks so much for all of the kind, encouraging reviews. I'm glad people are enjoying my story. Sorry this chapter took so long, I've been crazy busy. My plan was to finish by Halloween (hence, the theme of the story) We'll see how that goes.

* * *

Robin Plunder's mind was racing as he sped through the desert back to the set. It was not often that he was faced with a moral dilemma. Being raised in the Plunder family had enabled him to operate in the grey areas of ethics pretty well. But this time it was difficult.

Perhaps it was because this time it personally involved him. He had always known about his uncle's crazy schemes, but they were always somewhere far away and didn't directly affect him. This time however, he was taking the flack for it. And now that he had full knowledge of what was happening that technically made him an accessory to the crime.

Even that would not have bothered him so much a few months ago. But now his life was looking up. He had recovered from his embarrassment over the phony bat attacks and he was back on a big movie project. And he was dating a gorgeous movie star. For once it seemed like his life was going well and he didn't need his shady uncle and his crazy girlfriend- or whatever she was- to jeopardize that.

The situation was still complicated though. He could not just sell out his uncle and send him to rot in prison. His Uncle Looten was greedy, corrupt and possibly psychotic, but he was still family. The only family that Robin had. Looten had practically raised Robin after Robin's mother, Raven, had died when he was just ten. Looten had been very close to his sister and took her death particularly hard, perhaps the reason why he took such good care of her son. That and the fact that Looten's father, Robin's grandfather, had no interest in raising an orphan, especially one who had brought so much shame to the family by being born out of wedlock.

Robin still felt bitter and angry when thinking about his childhood. That was one thing that Bambi understood about him. If anyone could understand coming from a messed up family it was her.

The Jeep screeched to a halt, kicking up clouds of dust. Robin jumped out of the vehicle and stormed to his office.

It was just a few minutes later than the Planeteers and Bambi returned to the movie set.

"You guys wait here," Bambi said, hopping out of the Jeep. "I'll go talk to Robin and find out what's going on."

Bambi strolled quickly across the set to Robin's office and walked inside without bothering to knock.

"Bambi!" Robin exclaimed, seeming rather surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to ask you what you found when you went out to investigate the mummy sightings."

Robin looked nervous and uncertain. "Um… nothing. It's all just rumors."

"Are you certain?" Bambi asked. "You didn't find _anything?_"

"No." Robin said, even though his voice wavered.

"Well, I think there has to be something. All these people would not just be making up stories." Bambi was trying not to sound agitated. "I think I'm going to go check it out myself."

"No!" Robin yelled.

Bambi raised her eyebrow. "Why not? I thought you said there was nothing out there."

"I…" Robin was stuttering. "It's dangerous in the desert at night. I don't want you to get hurt."

Bambi was stunned. "Okay," she said softly. "I'm going back to my trailer now to get some rest. It's getting late."

"Okay, good night," Robin said.

"Good night," Bambi replied, turning and walking out the door.

The Planeteers were all waiting anxiously outside to hear what Robin had said. The look on Bambi's face said it all. "He denied everything," she said. Her voice carried a mixture of anger and sadness. "He said there was nothing going on."

Wheeler opened his mouth as if he were about to say "I told you so" when Linka gave him a hard nudge to the ribs. "I'm sorry," Linka said quickly, before Wheeler had a chance to say anything insensitive.

"I guess I should have listened to you guys," Bambi said.

"There's nothing wrong with being optimistic or seeing the best in people," Ma-ti said sympathetically.

Bambi gave him a half-smile. "Thanks Ma-ti. Well… I guess it's up to us to stop this grave robbing. Let's go back and see what we can do."

The drive back into the desert was not nearly as exciting as the first time around. The group definitely felt tense, and even Wheeler could not think of a joke to lighten the somber mood. They were all pretty much silent the entire time.

They stopped the Jeep several hundred yards from the entrance of the tombs. They walked the rest of the way, keeping in the shadows as much as possible.

They weren't far from the entrance to the tomb when they heard a strange growling noise behind them. They turned around to come face to face with a mummy.

"Is that what I think it is?" Wheeler said, sounding rather worried.

"It's a mummy!" Linka exclaimed.

The group stood back apprehensively as they regarded the strange creature standing before them. It looked menacingly at them with glowing eyes.

"Something seems strange about this mummy," Kwame said.

"You mean like the fact that mummies aren't real?" Bambi asked. "Or at least not mummies that roam the countryside attacking people."

"What is it then?" Ma-ti asked. He held out his hand and yelled "Heart!" attempting to determine what it was. "It's definitely not… alive?" He did not really know the correct word to use.

"It reminds me of the animatronic monsters we use in the film," Bambi said.

The Planeteers all looked at each other knowingly. "Do you think this is another one of Dr. Blight's creations?" Gi asked.

"If it is, then we are probably in a lot of trouble," Wheeler responded. "Let's get out of here."

The group started to walk away when the mummy started following them. As they picked up their pace the mummy seemed to get faster. After a few yards the mummy stopped and shot a bolt of electricity at them.

"I didn't know mummies did that!" Wheeler yelled as he ducked behind a pile of rocks.

"Not normally," Gi said.

"My sister does have a tendency to overdo things," Bambi added.

"I'll take care of it," Kwame said. He stretched out his arm and yelled "earth" causing a hole to open up in the ground and swallow the robot mummy.

"Come on, let's get out of here before it figures out a way to get out of there!" Wheeler said. The group sprinted the rest of the way to the entrance of the tomb.

Cautiously they stepped inside the tomb. They shone their flashlights around.

"So far, so good," Gi said.

Linka stopped when she thought she heard a sound coming from one of the corridors that veered away from the main entry. "Did you hear that?" she whispered.

"I did," said Ma-ti, who had been standing next to Linka. The others had not heard anything though.

"Ma-ti and I will check it out, then" Linka said.

Linka and Ma-ti walked down the corridor in the direction of the noise they had heard. They entered into a large chamber when they where grabbed from behind by Oakey and Dokey.

"Hey boss, we got 'em!" Dokey exclaimed proudly.

Dr. Blight and Looten Plunder emerged from around the corner, grinning wickedly.

"Well, well," Dr. Blight said. "Look who finally decided to show up."

"I assume the rest of you brats around here somewhere?" Plunder said. "Don't worry, it won't be long until we find them too. Oakey, Dokey, tie these two up, and take their rings."

Linka and Ma-ti struggled against the two gigantic brothers but they couldn't get away. A few moments later their hand were tied behind their backs and Plunder and Blight had gone off to find the others.

Wheeler, Gi, Kwame and Bambi continued further into the tomb. They came to a large burial chamber with hieroglyphics covering the walls at the end of the passageway. Cautiously they stepped inside. Even the dim illumination from their flashlights was enough to see how much had been stolen.

"Can you believe it? This place has been stripped clean!" Wheeler remarked, sounding disgusted.

"It is terrible," Kwame added. "Think of all that could have been learned from those artifacts."

Bambi frowned and shook her head. "I don't know why my sister does these things."

"Why don't you just ask?" The group turned to see Dr. Blight standing triumphantly in the doorway to the chamber. "I don't understand why you do the things that you do either."

"Babs," Bambi said darkly. "This plan is crazy."

Dr. Blight frowned slightly. "You know I get tired of hearing that."

"Maybe you should stop coming up with such crazy ideas," Bambi retorted.

"You know it's not only my idea. There are others involved too…"

"Like Looten Plunder!" Gi said bitterly.

"And his nephew Robin," Wheeler added.

"Robin?" Dr. Blight asked with a wicked grin. She looked deviously thoughtful. "This was his idea to start with. I guess he's the crazy one."

"You're lying!" Bambi yelled, tears in her eyes.

"Am I, Sis? You don't look like you think I'm lying." Dr. Blight laughed cruelly. "But it doesn't matter though, you're going to have plenty of time to think about it." She held up a small device that looked like a remote control. "I'm going to make sure the archaeologists of the future have something to dig up!"

"You're crazy, you're not going to get away with this you know," Wheeler said. "Bambi's a big movie star. As soon as people realize she's missing they're going to come looking for her."

"And by then I plan to be far away, enjoying all the money I made," Dr. Blight said. She stepped back out of the tomb and pressed a button on the device, causing an explosion and sealing the entrance to the chamber trapping Bambi, Wheeler, Gi and Kwame inside.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to everyone for reviewing, I really appreciate it!

* * *

Linka and Ma-ti were startled by the rumbling sound of the explosion in the tomb.

"What was that?" Linka asked nervously.

"It sounded like an explosion," Ma-ti said, also sounding very worried.

They both struggled against their restraints now, desperate to get away and check on the safety of the other Planeteers.

"There has to be a better way than this," Linka moaned after a moment. The ropes were starting to cut into her wrists now and she could feel her skin stinging.

They both looked up at Oakey and Dokey who were assigned to the task of guarding the two of them. They were playing with their rings, trying to figure out how to make them work. Of course, they had no clue of what to do.

"They're really not too bright, are they?" Ma-ti said softly.

"Nyet," Linka replied. "They are as dumb as stones…"

"I think you mean rocks," Ma-ti said.

"Thanks, _Wheeler_," Linka said sarcastically.

Ma-ti chuckled. "What I'm trying to say is that it shouldn't be too hard to get away from these guys."

"I know, I think I have an idea," Linka said.

They both looked up at the Pinehead brothers. Dokey was trying to fit Linka's ring onto his thick fingers, though he didn't have a chance of actually making it work.

"Hey guys," Linka called sweetly. "Do you wanna know how those rings work?"

"Um… okay," the brothers answered in unison.

They lumbered over to where Linka and Ma-ti were sitting. "Okay… what do we do?" Dokey asked.

"Well," Linka said in her nicest voice. "It would help if you untied my hands, then I could show you."

The brothers looked at each other for a moment before deciding to comply. _Wow_, Linka thought. _Plunder really got desperate when he hired these guys. Good thing Bleak didn't work for him anymore._

Once her hands were free Linka reached out for her ring. "Come on, guys. I just want to show you how it works."

Once they handed her the ring, Linka didn't waste anytime slipping it on her finger and blowing them away with a violent gush of wind.

She undid Ma-ti's restraints and he quickly retrieved his ring while the two Pinehead brothers were too stunned to realize what had happened.

"You know, that was so easy I almost feel bad for them," Linka said as they were running away.

"Me too," Ma-ti replied. "Almost…"

* * *

"I can't believe she buried you alive!" Wheeler said. He was pacing nervously in the now sealed off chamber. "I mean I've heard of sibling rivalry, but give me a break!"

Bambi was sitting on a large stone sarcophagus, one of the few items left in the room, presumably since it was too heavy to pick up and move. She had her arms folded across her chest and she looked like she was thinking. She did not seem nearly as anxious as Wheeler and the others.

"She wasn't always like this, you know," Bambi said thoughtfully.

"Your sister?" Gi clarified.

Bambi nodded. "That accident that messed up her face- I think it also messed up her brain."

"Well, that's just great," Wheeler said. "It doesn't help us get out of here. It's time to take some action!" He held out his hand as if he were going to use his ring with Bambi grabbed his wrist.

"Wheeler!" She exclaimed. "We probably don't have much oxygen in here as it is, we don't need you burning away what we do have!"

Everyone looked at her, stunned. "What?" she said. "My sister isn't the only one who's good at science, you know. It doesn't take a genius to realize that if he starts a fire, we are going to suffocate."

"And if I try to use my ring it might cause a cave in," Kwame said, sounding disappointed.

"What are we going to do?" Gi said anxiously. "We can't just sit around here and wait!"

The group seemed despondent for several moments as they considered their options. Suddenly the silence was interrupted by Linka and Ma-ti yelling for them. Their voices were quite muffled, and the others could barely make out what they were saying.

"Linka!" Wheeler exclaimed, happy to know that she was safe.

"Wheeler," he heard her distant voice respond.

"You need to go back to the set and get some help!" Bambi yelled.

On the other side of the cave-in, Linka and Ma-ti were having just as hard of a time hearing the others.

"What are they saying?" Linka said, sounding somewhat nervous.

"I will found out," Ma-ti said. He stretched out his arm and yelled "Heart" activating the power of his ring. After a moment Ma-ti told Linka what was going on. "They are all safe. They want us to go back to the set and get some help."

"Come on then, let's hurry," Linka said, turning and running for the Jeep.

* * *

It did not take long to finish loading the artifacts into the trucks once the Planeteers were taken care of. Looten Plunder and Dr. Blight surveyed their work proudly.

"We're going to make millions from this," Plunder said gleefully, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Dr. Blight laughed wickedly, followed by her typical sigh. "And this time there is nothing those Planet-Punks can do to stop up.

Now it was Plunder's turn to laugh. "Yeah…" he said, pausing suddenly. "Did you really have to trap your sister in that cave-in?" he asked cautiously.

"Oh lighten up, Looten. Those brats will find a way out of there eventually. They always do. But by then we'll be long gone!" She hopped into the passenger's seat of one of the trucks.

Plunder got into the driver's seat and started the engine. "You didn't have to tell them Robin was involved… that's just cruel."

"Looten!" Dr. Blight yelled angrily. She took a deep breath and started again, with a far more gentle tone. "You're not getting soft on me are you?" She rested her hand gently on his forearm and gave him a sweet smile.

"Hmph," Plunder scoffed, straightening his back and setting his jaw. "Not a chance. Trust me, I'm just as cutthroat as ever!"

Dr. Blight smiled and settled back into her seat as they drove off into the night.

* * *

Linka ended up driving the Jeep back to the set. It was a rather frightening experience. She was nervous, and didn't know the road. Several times she hit a rut and it felt like the Jeep would flip over. Somehow, though, she and Ma-ti made it back to the set safely, although they both seemed a bit pale as they got out of the Jeep.

It did not take long for a mob of people to surround them. Word must have gotten out pretty quickly that Bambi had gone out into the desert to investigate the mummy sightings.

"Where is she? Is she safe?" the director demanded anxiously.

"She's trapped…" Linka started to say when she was interrupted by another member of the crew.

"What I'm trying to say is…" Linka started, before she was interrupted again. She was starting to become rather agitated, and her face showed it.

"Everybody calm down!" Someone yelled from the back of the crowd. Everybody stopped and turned around to see Robin Plunder standing behind them.

"It's you!" Linka said harshly, her eyes narrowing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Robin asked, making his way through the crowd until he was face to face with Linka and Ma-ti.

"You know what it means!" Linka said angrily. "Your uncle and his partner in crime Dr. Blight trapped Bambi and the other Planeteers in a cave-in inside one of the tombs!"

Robin suddenly looked pale. "That's terrible!" he exclaimed. "We have to stop them!"

"What do you mean? You're working with them." Ma-ti said.

"I'm… I'm not working with them," Robin said. He sounded genuine.

"But we saw you with them at the tombs," Linka said. "And when Bambi asked you about it, you denied everything."

A sudden look of realization appeared on Robin's face. "Oh my God. This is not what I intended to do, I was just trying to protect her."

Ma-ti and Linka exchanged glances. "I think he is telling the truth," Ma-ti said. Linka still had her doubts, but Ma-ti's intuition about people pretty much always proved to be right, considering he had the power of Heart.

"If that is true, and you are not working with them, why didn't you tell her?" Ma-ti asked.

"I was going to tell her as soon as I figured out what to do. My uncle is crazy, but he's still my family. I can't just hand him over to go to prison," Robin said.

"So what are you going to do?" Linka said, still not quite trusting him. "I don't see how he could not go to jail for something like this."

"I think I have it figured out," Robin said. "But it doesn't really matter now. What's more important is getting Bambi and your friends out of that tomb. Come on, let's go!"


End file.
